Nine months after the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Lithuanian museum curator Skaistis Mikulionis finally saw an opportunity to evacuate two Dutch masterpieces from the Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art. Before the war began, Mikulionis had arranged to exhibit the artwork in Lithuania, and he was not going to let the war alter his plans. With Odesa under regular bombardment, the risky operation had a crucial second objective: Keep the paintings safe until they could be returned home. So as many Ukrainians were fleeing the country, Mikulionis headed toward the front lines to rescue Frans Hals’ vividly personal portraits of the evangelists Luke and Matthew.
“Only idiots aren’t afraid,” said the curator, “but it is simply our duty to help.”
A selfie taken inside a vehicle showing three men. Two men in the foreground wear military camouflage uniforms and green berets. A man in a plain t-shirt sitting in the back seat smiles and raises two fingers in a peace sign.
Two volunteer riflemen drive Skaistis Mikulionis and paintings from Ukraine to Lithuania in a special museum transportation vehicle on Aug. 27, 2024. Courtesy of Skaistis Mikulionis/Lithuanian National Museum of Art
